


Masochistic Kisses Are How I Thrive

by 0fficialese



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Blood Drinking, Blood Kink, Fluff and Smut, Gay Sex, Knifeplay, M/M, Oral Sex, PIV Sex, PWP, Top Thanatos, Trans!Zagreus, bottom Zagreus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:28:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27116798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0fficialese/pseuds/0fficialese
Summary: Zagreus hates parchmentwork and Thanatos is very good at getting him away from it.
Relationships: Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 181





	Masochistic Kisses Are How I Thrive

**Author's Note:**

> beta'd by my friend vee @ Vivirrin here on ao3
> 
> zagreus is trans because i, a trans, say so <3  
> hes also just a masochistic bottom because...he is <3

“Skelly?”   
  
“What is it, boyo?”

“Why is my escape route closed off?” Zagreus said this with a veneer of calmness, the clear red glass blocking his exit flickering with little sparks and licks of flame around the edges and inside the glass itself. 

“Well, y’see, I was making myself scarce, y’know, part of my whole contract, gotta stay outta sight, can’t be seen by the big guy out there,” Skelly began to speak, bones clicking and creaking as he talked, “and he just kind of set the glass in there. Tossed some parchment in with all those pacts you’ve been filling out. You’ve been filling them out, right, boyo?” 

Immediately, Zagreus knelt and started to sift through the piles of parchment with different conditions and weapons marked but very few specifics otherwise listed, none of them sealed, and nothing done to his father’s exacting specifications, finally coming across a tiny, folded piece of parchment closed with red wax and stamped with his father’s sigil. He broke it open with deep impatience, a muscle jumping in his jaw as he read the snotty message written in an all-too-familiar neat script-  _ Finish your parchmentwork, boy. _

“Blood and-” the prince started to swear, crumpling the parchment in one fist, the muscles in his forearm trembling with anger. He thought he’d finally moved past parchments and ink and sitting still and dreary repetitious work, but no, he  _ still _ had to do this stupid fucking work, filling page after page with meaningless scribbles. His brow furrowed and he closed his eyes, breathing deeply and trying to calm himself down, ignoring his father’s pithy jab. 

“Y’know,” Skelly’s voice came from over his shoulder, “you’d have a lot fewer of those to do if you just did ‘em right when you got back home, right?”

Zagreus opened his eyes, expression thoroughly unamused as he finally started to gather sheaves of parchment in his arms, and he swore he could almost feel one of his eyes twitch in aggravation- the red one, it seemed. “Thanks for the advice, mate,” he said flatly, making his way back over to his room. “Maybe I’ll take it someday.” He sped down the long hallway to his room, brushing past the curtains and stomping over to his desk to dump all the pacts on the floor before he gingerly moved aside the Fated List of Minor Prophecies, making sure it wouldn’t be knocked to the ground or damaged in some way before he started going through the pacts and setting them in front of him. A bit of rummaging produced a red candle, and going through one of the little pouches on his belt disguised as skulls revealed his signet ring, something he hadn’t worn in a very, very long time. Zagreus sighed heavily at the sight of it and slipped it back onto his finger and took his quill up, starting his weary, dull, endless work. 

If he happened to possess the ability to pay attention to parchmentwork, this task would be a breeze and something easily done in an hour or two, however, the young prince of the underworld would be the first person to admit his absolute inability to focus on tasks that required deep focus for extended periods of time with no movement involved. As it was, he’d managed to get through a few of them, describing boons, enemies, noting a few obvious flaws on his successful escapes and a few good security buffs that had helped stop him from escaping on other runs. The recollections, the memories, actually having interesting stories to tell wasn’t bad- in fact, that part of the parchmentwork wasn’t necessarily unbearable...however. An unfortunate aspect of Zagreus having to dig deep into his memory in order to fill out these pacts in order to do his ‘job’ with any sort of accuracy meant that it allows him plenty of time to relive, replay, or drift off on little tangents thinking about things that might only be vaguely related to actually trying to escape the underworld or even underworld life in of itself. 

As an example, he came across a pact in which he was utilizing a number of boons from the god Ares, and that led him down a deep rabbithole of nigh untraceable thoughts. He’d done a lot of damage, destroyed a lot of property, killed a lot of enemies, shed a lot of blood- his cousin had heaped praise upon him for that. Zagreus had even won against his father, defeating him with a well-timed strike with Varatha, and yet...once more, he perished in the outside world...alone. It got him to thinking about how absolutely shitty it felt to die alone, bleeding out, or breaking his neck, or...honestly any of the other dozens (hundreds?) of deaths he’d experienced at this rate. Time and time again he’d perished alone, and while he was used to it, he wondered what it would be like to actually  _ be _ escorted to Hades by someone...by Thanatos, specifically. 

That circled back around to Thanatos having been working quite a bit with Ares lately because of some sort of great war going on, and it got Zagreus to wondering what it would be like to be a mortal warrior on a battlefield, perhaps dying alone on some corner of the field, feeling nothing but pain, when all of a sudden Thanatos appeared and took him in his strong arms, all the pain melting away into blissful nothingness as his soul would be cleaved from his body and escorted to the boatman Charon by Hermes. How lovely would it be if his last sight was the face of the most beautiful man he’d ever beheld, his last sound the quiet calm of his voice, all his pain turned to pleasure with just a touch...how tender it would be not to die alone. 

His hand hadn’t moved in a good long while, a large spot of black ink radiating from the nib of his quill and staining his hand, eyes unfocused and staring off into the distance as he lived through this deep, detailed life of a mortal foot soldier with a deep infatuation with death, mind everywhere but his desk in his chambers when a flash of green light and quiet noise announced the arrival of the man he was fantasizing about...or it would’ve, if he’d been paying even a modicum of attention. 

Thanatos knew Zagreus had always been bound to bouts of flighty hyperactivity and deep inattentiveness, it’d been a trait he’d had since they were both kids and remained something innate to his very being. At times, he found it a bit charming, the energy and vivacity he exuded so lively and vibrant that he couldn’t tear his eyes away from him, but at others, he was a bit at a loss for what to do. He tried being subtle, clearing his throat, shuffling his feet, hovering a bit over Zagreus, the usual. When that didn’t work, he sighed and slammed his hand on the desk next to the prince’s and leaned down to look at him. “Working hard?” he asked, hoping this would help bring Zag back to reality. 

Currently deep in the middle of considering what it’d be like for Thanatos to gather him up in those toned arms and hold him close before holding the blade of his scythe to his throat, Zagreus startled at the sudden appearance of Than and his arms and chest right in front of him, the only response he was able to muster being, “Yes I arm,” while he blinked rapidly, the palm of one hand almost completely black with ink he’d let seep carelessly. 

“Arm?” Than replied, brows raising a few millimeters in barely expressed confusion. 

“Am, am, am,” he hurriedly corrected himself, capping the ink and setting the quill aside as quickly as possible. “Sometimes I talk funny, Than, you know this.” It was shockingly difficult to play ‘Yes I arm’ off as any sort of natural response, and he was hoping he was pulling it off. He was charismatic enough to do that, right?

The answer, of course, was no, no he wasn’t- any of the shades in the office could attest to Zagreus and his sheer lack of charisma as well as his total and complete inability to lie convincingly without keeping his mouth shut, and they all knew Zagreus was practically physically incapable of keeping his mouth shut unless something was  _ truly _ dire. Thanatos was aware of all of this as well, having known Zagreus as long as he had, and simply graced this response with a tiny sigh. “Are you going to tell me what the ‘arm’ means in this context, or should I get back to work myself?” he asked, crossing his arms across his chest. 

Eyes widening, Zagreus stood and turned to face Thanatos, kicking the chair in behind him unceremoniously as he held his hands out in a gesture urging the other god to stay. “No, well, erm, I can try and explain what I was thinking, but it’s very convoluted, and I’d rather not waste any time we have together, you know.” 

Another sigh. “Short version, then.”

“Er, alright then…” Zagreus said this quietly, hands moving to fold in front of him, fingers worrying the signet ring he’d forgotten to remove. “It was essentially me wondering what it’d be like to die in your arms, at least at first! It was very innocent, I promise. But, then, as my imagination likes to do, it just...got away from me, and got to points that I’m quite unsure how to explain.” 

Thanatos settled himself on the ground in front of Zagreus, looking down at him briefly before he gently took the prince’s chin in his hand and forced him to look up at him. “I’d like it if you did your best to try and explain these wild, runaway thoughts to me, Zagreus.” His voice was firm but an edge of amusement glinted along the edges, almost undetectable. 

Zagreus swallowed heavily, unable to look away from those piercing golden eyes, so different from his own mismatched pair. The face he’d been fantasizing about for gods knows how long was right here and it was more beautiful than he remembered, every angle and plane seemingly sculpted with the greatest care by a god who loved beauty above all else, his silky hair just barely brushing the tops of his cheekbones and framing those magnetic eyes, glimmering like obols. “I was thinking about you,” he almost whispered, feeling pinned in place by the look in his lover’s eyes more than the hand holding his chin. “What it’d feel like to be in pain, and have you change that into something pleasurable. Your arms holding me close as your scythe bites into my neck, wondering what that sort of release is like.”

A slow blink as Thanatos tilted his head slightly to examine Zagreus, taking in the hint of a flush on his cheeks, the almost nervous way his hands were held in front of him, the intense way he met his gaze. He let his thumb run over Zagreus’ mouth, letting it rest on the soft curve of his lower lip. “It sounds like you want me to hurt you, Zagreus,” he said quietly. “Is that what you want?”

“I think so,” was all Zagreus managed to say, the confession a quick, breathy exhale. 

“I don’t like seeing you hurt, Zag,” Than said, removing his hand but only to pull Zagreus into a tender embrace, holding him close. “There’s a reason I gave you the butterfly, and Mort, and all those centaur hearts, you know.” His lips pressed a soft kiss into the skin of Zagreus’ neck, lingering there for a moment. “I believe I can make an exception to that general rule when it comes to pleasing my lover, however.” Teeth grazed the skin he just kissed, a promise of things to come. “Meg shouldn’t get to have all the fun, don’t you agree?”

A shiver crawled up his spine at Thanatos’ words, hands dropping to his sides as he bared his neck for more of whatever the god of death wanted to do to him. “As long as that’s what you want, too,” he said. Despite himself, Zagreus couldn’t resist quipping, “No scythe though, I take it?” 

Thanatos rested his face in the crook of the prince’s neck and laughed, a gentle, warm sound that few ever heard, and yet Zagreus was as familiar with the melody of death’s laugh as that of his own. “No scythe today, Zag. I’ll only kill you under special circumstances,” he replied drily, amusement still saturating his voice.

“Bank holidays and Hypnos’ birthday, I’ve got it now.” He finally wrapped his arms around Thanatos’ neck to draw him in closer, a soft chuckle slipping out of him. “Good to know I can finally plan my own deaths accordingly, now that I know the rules.” 

With another soft laugh, Thanatos shifted his grip and effortlessly hoisted Zagreus up before starting towards the bed. “On Hypnos’ birthday I’d rather be the one getting killed and we  _ both _ know this.” With just a few steps he crossed the room and set his prince down on the bed, but hesitated in joining him, expression getting the slightest bit serious as he looked down at Zagreus. “If we’re going to be doing this, I need to know what you want and what you’re going to say if it’s too much. Again, I don’t want to hurt you, Zag. I just want you to feel good.” 

Zagreus looked back at Thanatos, heart aching with love for him. His Thanatos, so serious, so responsible, so gentle, so caring- how could a man be so blessed, to be loved by one such as him? A soft smile settled on his lips, the sheer affection he felt for his partner overtaking him for a brief moment. He did speak after a second or two of blissful staring, clearing his throat before he said, “I would like it if you cut me a bit, I think. I kind of like how it stings when I’m cut, and if you do it…” he let the thought trail off, unfinished. “I do want to have sex, if that’s alright and you’re up to it. If it turns out to be too much, I can just say, er…” he was blanking. Meg had taught him all about safe words ages ago when they used to be together, but blast if he could remember what theirs used to be. “I can say…” his eyes wandered around the room, settling on the abandoned desk. “Quill?”

“Quill?” Thanatos double-checked, eyebrows raising slightly. 

“Quill.” Zagreus confirmed.

“Alright, then. Best get to it,” he said, unceremoniously, starting to go through the tedious process of removing all his garments and weapons and jewelry. Thanatos usually liked to do this part himself, simply because he had so many finicky little accessories that came together to create the entire presence of ‘death’ that mortals feared, and as a result it took far too long to remove to make it sexy without concerted, coordinated effort. Unhooking the detailed winged pauldron and removing his elaborate gorget was a process in of itself, the upper half of his chiton and hood spilling down and revealing the entirety of his chest with nothing left to hold it up. Next came his gauntlet and bracer, laid next to his other armor, and then his sword and greaves, all his armor and weapons set neatly out of the way. He takes off his belt with the same calm efficiency, the skull cincher then nestled next to the winking purple gemstone set in the sword; it allowed his chiton to fall off his body completely, pooling in a pile of fabric on the floor with a silken hiss. The detailed muscles of his thighs seemed all the more emphasized by the way his tights clung to his legs, the tight band of a small dagger strapped to one thigh shaping it further. Thanatos was quiet as he undressed, the loudest sound coming from him the clinks of metal and the  _ shink _ of the dagger being removed from the sheath, the handle of it resting comfortably in his hand as he walked over to Zagreus and set the dagger on the bed next to him before leisurely turning back around, baring his back to his lover. His shoulders and arms flexed as he bent to undo the sheath, putting it in the same pile as the rest of his accessories, and for a moment, he remained bent over, allowing the reclining prince a long, leisurely look at the lines of his body from the curves of his hips and spine to the granite edges of his muscles. 

Zagreus watched the entire process completely rapt- despite what Thanatos thought about undressing being obviously dull for him, there was a beauty in how meticulously he did things that was so different from his own, a quiet sensuality in the way fabric fell off of him to reveal the chiseled planes of his chest. There was a level of reverence in his gaze, a touch of gravitas that kept him silent, for Zagreus could never shake the feeling that there was something almost religious about the process of Death himself removing his defenses and allowing himself to be as vulnerable to life as life was to death. So thoroughly distracted was he by watching his lover undress that Zagreus did not even think to start working on his own clothing until Thanatos set the knife down by his side, which thusly jolted the prince out of his nigh poetic reverie and into a fumbling rush to remove his own belt and toss his skull-adorned chiton to the floor. 

The sound of bones clattering to the floor almost startled Thanatos, but he shrugged it off and straightened up. He thoughtfully rested his thumbs on the waistband of his tights, contemplating pulling them down before deciding against it, seeing as how he might as well leave something for Zag to do after all. When he turned back around to look at his lover. Zagreus was sitting up, prying his greaves off and throwing them carelessly on the ground next to his other clothes, narrowly missing nailing one of the skulls on his chiton with a flung piece of metal. Thanatos chuckled a little at the sight, the excitement and energy Zagreus outwardly expressed mirroring the emotions he felt but had difficulty showing. 

With light footsteps he strode over and joined the prince on the bed, sitting on the edge of it and facing him directly. “Hi,” Thanatos said with a lopsided, affectionate smile as he reached out to caress Zagreus’ cheek, touch soft as he ran a thumb along his cheekbone. Zag laughed and leaned into it, resting his hand over Than’s. “Hi,” he replied, smile warm and welcoming. “Now that the greetings are out of the way, time for the main event, yeah?” the impetuous prince quipped with a cheeky wink.

“Anything for his royal highness,” Thanatos deadpanned before moving in to kiss him. He started out soft, chaste almost, but as per usual Zagreus was impatient and needy as he draped his arms around the other god’s neck and deepened the kiss. Slowly, he pushed Zag down into the bed, bracing himself on his forearm so he could slowly roll his hips against Zag’s. He didn’t want to go fast, he didn’t want to rush, he wanted to take his time slowly taking his lover apart, he wanted to make him beg for him in that sweet voice of his, he wanted to make sure that Zagreus was there with him, focusing on him the entire time. Perhaps it was selfish of him to want to monopolize all of his lover’s time when they were together, but could it really be so wrong when he wrapped his legs around Thanatos’ waist and ground their hips together like he was trying to fuck himself through their tights? 

The softest sound slipped out of Zagreus as he felt Thanatos’ length slide against him again, the simple movement reminding him of just how perfectly the two of them fit together. He wished that he would move faster, finish undressing the both of them and get on with it already, but it seemed like for the moment he was content to kiss him in that careful, attentive way that drove him insane while leisurely grinding against him, so slow and so deep that Zagreus could feel his clit getting harder with each purposeful movement. “ _ Than _ ,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm and even between kisses but instead saying his name in a needy, drawn-out sigh. “Come on already…” 

Thanatos pulled away slowly, tugging Zagreus’ bottom lip in his teeth lightly before he completely disengaged from the kiss. “Remind me what you’ll say if it gets to be too much?” he murmured. 

“Er...uh…” He felt boneless and stupid from the kisses, but did his best to remember. “Quill…?” he ventured. 

A soft, chaste kiss was pressed to his forehead. “Good boy,” Thanatos said. He gently extricated himself from Zag’s arms so he could grab the knife he’d left next to them and shifted to sit on his heels, looking down at the god splayed beneath him with an adoring gaze. He was flushed, red and pink tinging his chest, lips, cheeks, ears, shoulders, and Thanatos adored seeing him like this. The slightest smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he flipped the knife once, reminding himself of the weight of it before he moved to slice open Zag’s tights and underwear, the tip of the blade dragging along his skin but not digging in, not yet. He tore the fabric further once the initial gash was made, the sound of popping stitches and ripped fabric filling the air. “I’m going to make you cum before I bleed you, Zag,” he explained, voice even and controlled except for an edge of excitement that Zagreus could only just pick up on. 

Zagreus inhaled sharply, not just in shock at the brutality of Than’s actions but also at the genuine enjoyment in his voice- he didn’t expect him to be so into this. He didn’t even really have time to make some sort of witty remark or react to how the sudden sensation of cold from having a hole torn in his clothes raised goosebumps on his skin, because Thanatos was already bent down with Zag’s thighs hauled over his shoulders, starting to eat him out. The moment Than flicked his tongue over his clit Zagreus moaned. His expression was almost worshipful as he ate him out, a stark contrast to the steely grip he had on Zag’s hips, holding them tightly in place to keep him from bucking or moving in any way. He had a look that Zagreus was all too familiar with, one that reminded him of times Than had held him down and ate him out for hours, making him come undone with his fingers and tongue time and time again before he finally begged for his cock, and even then he fucked him so slowly he thought he would lose his mind. Memories of the past were quickly forgotten, however, when Thanatos ran the tip of his tongue along his clit before sucking on it, the feeling pulling a whine from Zag’s lips. 

For a man who didn’t talk much, he was damnably good with his tongue, slipping it inside teasingly before going back and lavishing attention to every spot he knew Zagreus loved. He kept going until he could tell Zag was about to cum, from the tension in his thighs to the closed eyes and head thrown back into a pillow, hands clutching at the sheets with a force that made the muscles in his arms stand out. It was beautiful, he was beautiful, and Thanatos couldn’t prevent a moan at the sight. That was all it took to drive him over the edge, the quiet admission of lust as he worked him open with his tongue; it made Zagreus arch his back and cum with a weak cry, tightening his thighs around Than’s head before going limp and breathing heavily. 

Than helped him ride it out, thumbs rubbing encouraging circles on his hips before he pulled away, licking his lips. He let go of Zagreus, noticing the angry red marks his fingers left that were sure to settle into bruises later on- the ability to bruise was one of many unique traits Zagreus possessed that Thanatos found beautiful and uniquely alluring. One hip bore an indentation mirroring the shape of the handle of the knife he held, eyes and hearts blossoming on his skin prettily. Still, Than couldn’t help but murmur soft apologies and praise as he ghosted featherlight kisses over the marks, not wanting to push Zagreus too much as he recovered. They hadn’t gotten to the main attraction yet, after all. 

Zagreus appreciated it deeply, the chance to catch his breath and chase a brief moment of clarity as Thanatos repositioned himself so that the prince’s legs were now settled around his waist. Death’s eyes wandered over the expanse of his torso pensively as he tossed the knife in his hand, once again familiarizing himself with the weight and balance of the blade; cutting too deeply wouldn’t do, now, would it? Zag met his eyes with a raised eyebrow and mildly confused expression, asking, “What’s the hold up, love?” 

A huff of a laugh slipped out of Thanatos, barely an exhale. “I’m thinking, Zagreus. Maybe you should try it sometime.” As clarification, he rested the edge of the blade on his lover’s thigh, no pressure applied and yet the edge was sharp enough that Zag swore he could feel it biting into his skin. “I can’t just do whatever I want to you, Zag. If I cut here, there would be a number of issues. I wouldn’t be able to push your thighs up to your chest so I can fuck you as deeply as you like without irritating the wounds, and if I slip up I could slice an artery. I don’t want to end things too early.” He moved the tip of the knife to rest on Zag’s abdomen, tapping it once. “Here, we would run into a similar issue- a lot of irritation when I fuck you that would ultimately make it unpleasant. Here, however,” Thanatos said, resting his palm on the center of Zagreus’ chest, the handle of the knife pressed into it, the fine tip of the blade almost tucked under his chin. “I could cut up your chest no problem.” There was a touch of husky excitement to his voice that he didn’t bother suppressing, a hardness between his legs that matched his tone perfectly. 

“What about my back?” Zagreus found himself asking, though his voice was barely above a whisper. He didn’t want to risk breathing with the knife so close to his throat, didn’t want to move, he didn’t want to do anything that would make Than’s job any harder, and yet he had to ask why his back wasn’t an option. 

“I want to see your face when we do this. I want to make sure you’re enjoying it,” he replied, voice soft. Despite the scenario, despite what he was about to do, he never wanted to hurt Zagreus just for the sake of hurting him. His unnecessary pain was the last thing Thanatos wanted. 

His answer made the prince flush and he felt almost embarrassed for asking. Of everyone, including himself sometimes, Thanatos almost always had his best interests in mind. The brief moments they spent together were more than made up for with the intense care and attentiveness his lover gave him during that time, and now was no exception to the rule. He turned his face slightly and lowered his eyes so he wasn’t looking directly at Than, quietly abashed as he said, “Alright, I get it. Get on with it, mate, don’t leave me in suspense.” 

Thanatos almost chuckled as he leaned in to brush a kiss along Zagreus’ jaw. “As you wish,” he murmured. He straightened up and shifted his grip on the knife, using his empty hand to smooth out and hold the skin along the upper curve of one pectoral taut, the muscle temptingly firm under his grip. Swallowing past the nervousness blocking his throat, he placed his knife and pressed down, feeling the initial resistance of the skin part easily under the fine edge of his blade. Blood blossomed on Zagreus’ skin, and Thanatos felt his mind go almost blank as he continued to cut, making sure the wound was deep enough that it wouldn’t heal quickly, but not so deep as to be genuinely painful. He stopped his first cut at the dip in Zag’s muscular cleavage, something primal overtaking him as he bent down and ran his tongue over the wound, lapping at the spilled blood with something approaching fervor. It was hot and salty and metallic, the flavor of mortal blood, blood he’d known from countless deaths he’d overseen, and yet so different- it was divine. Thanatos found himself  _ craving _ it, the taste more intoxicating than wine, than nectar, than ambrosia, and all he wanted was  _ more _ . 

It was a sharp enough knife that it dug into his skin smoothly, so smoothly that at first Zagreus didn’t even notice; it was the rush of blood flowing from the wound as Than moved the knife deeper into him that made him aware of the pain, the sensation sharpening all his senses as he focused on that single stripe of pain arcing across his chest. A hand wound itself in Thanatos’ hair, the other clutching at the sheets as his breathing quickened, everything very intense and clear for a moment after he was cut...and then Thanatos started to drink his blood. 

His tongue traced along the sensitive edges of the laceration before pressing flat against it to lap at the blood spilling out, his hand massaged his chest as if trying to encourage more blood to flow for him. A thick trail of blood dripped down his pectoral and Than chased it with his mouth, following it down to his nipple, flicking his tongue over it before taking it into his mouth and sucking on it as if he was making sure not a drop of blood was to be wasted. He broke off all too soon, tongue running back over the planes of his chest when he returned to the wound he inflicted, blood no longer heavily flowing from the gash. An almost pained groan escaped him, lips pressing a longing kiss to the injury before he moved on, hands moving and cutting a matching stripe above his other pec. 

Zagreus found himself whimpering from the intensity, position shifting from relatively open to completely curled up and clinging to Thanatos. He wasn’t expecting  _ this _ , wasn’t prepared for the sudden desperation and bloodlust that sprang from his lover so suddenly. And yet...he found himself just as intoxicated by Than’s actions as he seemed to be by Zag’s blood, hips twitching and bucking as he drank him in. There was something to be said for the look in his eyes, hazy and clouded over with desire in a way Zagreus was unfamiliar with, and the sounds he made were simply music to the ear, needy gasps and moans as indulged himself. The prince felt like he was worshipped for the first time in his life with how devoutly Thanatos tried to drink down every drop of him, worshipped with the careful way he brought the knife down again despite the depths of his bloodlust, another piercing cut that had his back arching and chest aching. He was worshipped and yet he was also a sacrifice, a distant half-remembered phrase taunting him:  _ Gods love blood, Zagreus. It’s life, given to them, to honor them. Why do you think they demand live offerings on their altars, or why they love war? Blood gives gods a reason to _ \- and the rest was promptly forgotten when Thanatos started sucking on his other nipple, fingers briefly moving to tease the side he’d just moved on from. 

There was hardly any conscious awareness of what he was doing on Thanatos’ part, his actions all springing from a place of raw instinct. All he could think was that this felt too good, it felt right, this was perfect, Zagreus was perfect and he was beautiful and Thanatos wanted every part of him. When he finally straightened up and pulled away from Zagreus’ chest, he was panting slightly, lips and chin wet and red with blood and pupils dilated to the point that Than’s golden eyes looked almost black. “More?” he asked, voice heavy and thick. 

It was a shock to see him looking like that, any trappings of humanity stripped away with his godhood practically shining through his skin as golden ichor illuminated the harsh contours of his face, the redness of his blood both beautiful and terrible as it anointed Thanatos’ lips. The expression on his face sent another half-memory whispering in the back of his mind:  _ Gods aren’t bound by human conventions, lad. They’ll kill a man and eat him raw for the joy of it. _

The thought briefly echoed before it was banished; this was Thanatos,  _ his Thanatos _ , and he wasn’t like other gods- and for that matter, neither was Zagreus. A covenant between two gods was not like one made between god and man, and thus, Prince Zagreus came to his decision. 

The god of blood looked at the god of death, and quietly he murmured, “One more.”

An almost animalistic growl escaped Thanatos as one of his hands wrapped around Zagreus’ throat, thumb resting against the pulse hammering away there. More than before, it felt like his life was quite literally in his hands, his fluttering heartbeat desperate in it’s attempt to keep blood flowing and Zagreus alive. The knowledge of how easy it would be to slit his throat was immediately sobering, a long shiver running through his body as a semblance of composure settled itself around his shoulders and grounded him enough to pay attention to everything around him and not just the screaming rush of ichor pounding in his ears. He exhaled slowly and settled the tip of the knife just above the jutting curve of Zagreus’ clavicle, and when the blade pierced skin he managed to keep himself together, despite the shivery moan Zag let out and the way he pressed himself against Than, despite the fact that his tights were far too restrictive right now, despite the fact that he’d like nothing more than to drink of his lover until there was nothing left and then start all over again. Thanatos swallowed heavily and continued his cut, shape tracing the edges of his clavicle and causing blood to bubble up and pool in the dip of his sternum. Briefly, reverently, he bent down and pressed a kiss to Zagreus’ forehead, cheeks, lips, and then continued on his way down until he made his way down his throat, pausing once more at his pulse before he allowed his lips and tongue to trace a path along the fresh cut he’d given his lover. 

Zagreus saw the shift in Thanatos and smiled at him, a sharp pang of love searing through him as intensely as the knife caressing his skin. His trust and love in Than had never been misplaced, and he couldn’t help but feel this even more strongly when he felt the soft kisses gifted to him along with the wound this time. His blood wasn’t lapped up with the desperate intensity that it was previously and his cut was instead tended to with the same tenderness that Thanatos usually used with Zagreus; somehow it made the experience all the more intense for him, a sharp whine slipping from him as the god of death rested his lips on the curve of his throat. “Than!” he cried out, nails digging into his back as he clung to him and forced him closer. “I need you, Than, please, come on already!”

Those words went straight to his cock, making him stop his careful ministrations dead. “I love you, Zagreus,” Thanatos murmured, tossing his knife to the side so he could run his hands up his sides and pull his lover into a tight embrace. It was a brief, intense moment, nails digging into skin and hands clawing at hair in their desperation to be close before breaking apart to allow Than space to finally remove his tights and underwear, his haste almost tearing the fabric off his body as he pulled it down and threw it on the floor. The shudder of relief that overtook him when his erection was finally free of his remaining clothing would’ve been embarrassing were it not for the look Zagreus was giving him.

The blood on his chest and face and hands, the white hair that made up his barely-visible happy trail stained slightly pink, his dick which looked almost painfully hard, the heavy breathing and slight glow to Than’s cheeks that made him look genuinely and truly needy in a way that Zag was unfamiliar- it made him want him even more, eyes wandering hungrily over his body before meeting the other god’s eyes. “Than?” he said quietly.

“...yes?” he replied, pausing. His hands were resting on Zag’s thighs and he was about to work him open with his fingers, wanting to make sure that he was well and thoroughly prepared before they continued.

“If you don’t fuck me right now, I swear upon the most unholy pits of Tartarus I will personally find a way to see if Death himself can die,” Zagreus said with an intense conviction, red-and-green eyes boring holes into Thanatos’ gold ones.

“But-” he attempted to protest but was cut off. 

“ _ I don’t care if it hurts _ , I want you to fuck me  _ now _ ,” he hissed, the stubbornness he was so well-known for rearing its head as he hooked a leg around Than’s waist and pulled him in, the back of his heel almost painfully hot against his skin. 

Thanatos was unable to deny his beloved and assented to his demands with a silent nod. He lined himself up, one hand guiding himself in while the other held Zagreus in place, hand firm on his hip once more. When he finally pushed into his pussy, he couldn’t help but let out a low moan. “Fuck, Zag,” he managed, eloquence completely lost as he slowly moved, pausing when he bottomed out. “You alright?” Than asked, reaching up to brush the back of his hand across the prince’s cheek, quiet concern in his voice. 

The expression on Zagreus’ face was smug and almost satisfied, eyes half-closed as he smirked at Thanatos. “I’m more than alright, love,” he said completely truthfully. He loved how the two of them felt together, what a perfect fit they seemed to be. The only problem was that his lover was oftentimes too damn  _ slow _ , and he punctuated this thought with a quick snap of his hips against Than’s, the movement making him see stars. “I don’t want to be able to walk after this, though.” 

He couldn’t bring himself to argue with that. Instead, he shifted so he could shove Zag’s knees up to his chest, pinning him there for a moment. “You asked for this,” he said, and then he started to fuck him. Thanatos moved hard and fast, even pulling Zag back to meet his thrusts so he could fuck into him deeper. It felt like they were as close together as they could get in this position, his body curled over Zagreus’ and his forehead resting against his. Even though they weren't kissing, the fact that they were sharing the same breaths felt almost as intimate if not more. With the way they fit perfectly together it truly felt like they belonged together, like his true calling was actually fucking the prince of the Underworld until the only word he could say was his name and all he could do was wrap his arms around Thanatos to pull him in closer. 

Zagreus could barely recognize his own voice as he moaned and cried for Than, was only somewhat aware of his nails raking lines into Death’s back as he forced him closer. His hips ached from how hard Thanatos gripped them, and yet that was a completely secondary thought to how  _ full  _ he felt, each thrust feeling like it was deeper than the last as the head of his cock seemed to drag across every sensitive spot in his pussy. The wounds on his chest throbbed exquisitely, blood flowing from them as he strained and pulled Than closer, closer, until their lips were touching. 

Their kiss was as hungry and desperate as the rest of their sex, the taste of his own blood on Thanatos’ lips seeming to drive Zagreus over the edge as he came with a weak gasp, trembling and twitching from head to toe as Thanatos kept going for just a few seconds more before he buried himself to the hilt and finished with a low moan. Than felt like he came so hard he had to brace himself against the bed, hands balled up in the comforter to support him through another few shuddery, shallow strokes that jerked his hips as he pumped cum into Zag. He stayed inside him for a bit but moved to hold his face and pepper it with soft kisses, murmuring that he’s incredible, that he loves him so much, that he’ll get him all taken care of in just a moment. Thanatos would swear up to the heavenly halls of Olympus down to the depths of Tartarus that he’d never seen Zagreus more beautiful than when he was fucked to a point of exhaustion, skin glimmering with sweat and blood, bruises blossoming on his skin, eyes hazy and unfocused; as sacrilegious as it was he  _ knew _ that even Aphrodite couldn’t compete with his lover in this moment. 

All Zagreus could say and do was nod and whisper quiet agreements to everything Thanatos said, the blood loss and fatigue finally catching up to him now that the endorphins and adrenaline were starting to fade away. Everything hurt and he was  _ so _ tired, and he said as much to Than, which earned him a quiet chuckle and a kiss to the top of his head. When he pulled out, Zag shuddered slightly at the sudden emptiness and the feeling of cum starting to leak out and down his leg, and then the heavy sensation of Than over him was gone completely, somehow more startling than anything else that happened that evening? Morning? Afternoon? 

All was made well in just a few moments as he was loosely covered in his chiton and gathered up in the strong arms of the god of death, head resting in the crook of his neck as he was carried off to his private bath down the hall. Something about the combination of Than’s even breathing, the slow, careful steps he took to carry him, and the quiet affirmations of love he murmured the entire time he carried him off to the bath had Zagreus nodding off, eyes fluttering closed as he was cradled and cared for by Death himself. 

He woke up gods know when later wrapped up in a clean blanket on his bed, wounds bandaged meticulously, body completely clean and smelling of his favorite soap. Every muscle ached, he swore his bones even ached, and he had no idea when he’d be able to swing Stygius next, or use any weapon really, given the placement of the cuts that Thanatos had bestowed upon him. Zagreus sat up with a strained groan, blinking away the vestiges of sleep as he looked around his room. He wasn’t exactly surprised that his lover had disappeared, he knew he was busy and honestly rarely stayed unless he felt like he really could, but it was still mildly disappointing. When he went to stand, he found it one of the most arduous tasks he’d ever had to undertake, second only to walking over to the mirror to cheek on his appearance...which was, as he expected, a mess that clearly indicated an intense time that by proxy also meant he’d be wearing his chiton a bit differently until his wounds healed...or he could just die rather than be seen looking like...everything that had just happened had indeed happened. That was also viable, really, probably one of his better ideas as of late. 

It wasn’t until he was halfway into his clothing that he remembered the fact that his father had effectively sealed off his one surefire method of death, the fact making him almost shout in frustration and slump in his desk chair, the notion that he’d have to bare these wounds in public for a good while longer haunting and terrifying him- Hypnos would never let him live it down. Zagreus turned his head to look at the pile of pacts resentfully, when he noticed a small note written in Thanatos’ hand scribbled on a spare piece of parchment resting on the top of the pile, reading, ‘ _ I filled out the ones where I ran into you and remembered what happened. The rest I’ll leave up to you. See you out there, Zag. _ ’ 

Zagreus held the parchment in his hands delicately before pressing a kiss to it, a smile spread across his face. He couldn’t ever ask for a better partner, genuinely and truly. Thanatos’ consideration gave him the renewed vigor he needed to lift his pen, but he still looked at the pacts with gradually increasing disgust. 

He hated parchmentwork. 

**Author's Note:**

> u can find me @doomsexual on twitter i do art sometimes im more active there
> 
> title comes from a lyric in this song because im terrible at coming up with titles lol
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0dLpnLBcKk


End file.
